In actuality, it frees them up from fundraising, something I doubt very many at all like doing. It also stops them from having to payback campaign contributions through legislative favors and the resulting psychic stress that should cause them.

But in the end it may be necessary for the voters to legislate this program through an initiative.

Another way to promote getting this done is to support candidates who favor the program like Tim Probst who recently announced his candidacy for the 17th LD WA State House Rep. race.

I’d hope that Pat Campbell would be open to trying out a clean election program for the city council and help “sell” this to the rest of the city government leadership. N.J. recently passed a test program that I hear is working fine. Pat, are you listening?

In any case, I’ll concede your points. Now tell me how you will sell this to either City Council or the Voters…because keep in mind you are in Washington tool, not Oregon, and things work differently on this side of the river.

Second, candidates only get funds that puts them on equal footing with incumbents and other pre-qualified candidates.

So it doesn’t matter much who specifically is running. It allows all qualified candidates to compete financially on an equal basis without any of them (except those that run on private money) having to sell their souls or having an unfair financial advantage.

The end result is candidates who spend their time actually campaigning instead of fundraising and are beholden to no one once elected like how Pat Campbell got elected. Unless you think the $97.30 he spent compromised him.

I say let the best person win without money being part of who is considered best. And once elected, these pols can stop selling us out to special interests, clean up the legal bribery called lobbying and do what they are elected to do, institute policies, laws and regulations that benefit us rather than some corporate coffer.

Or better yet, how about handing David Kallstrom $100 Grand to run his 11th run at City Council? Do you really want to tell me you think that’s a good idea??

Seriously.

Still waiting to see what you come up with when you figger those odds…

Stout Hearts…

Unless of course the Supreme Court decides bribery is not protected speech (don’t hold your breath on this one).

And I have done plenty of reading and researching on the subject.

Then figure the odds that Vancouver City Council will ever be stupid enough vote to approve a fiasco like that.

(I’d estimate the odds at somewhere between zilch point shit, and zero.)